How to learn the how? – Learning domains

January 8, 2012

How can I learn how to do things smarter or better? I was reminded of the taxonomy of learning objectives of Bloom et al. which splits learning in three domains: cognitive, affective and psychomotor domain (see below for more info). Let’s see what we can do with that:

I wonder if the elements in the different learning domains can be linked to the what-, how- and why-questions. Let’s give it a try:

Could we describe ‘analysing’ (Separates material or concepts into component parts so that its organizational structure may be understood. Distinguishes between facts and inferences), as part of the ‘cognitive domain’ as how to make sense of the what?

And is ‘evaluating’ (Make judgments about the value of ideas or materials) the same as linking actions or things (what) to a value or a purpose (why)?

I have the feeling that this works. I will have to do some more work to really make sense of it, and to see if there’s any value in this excercise… to be continued…